


One Step Forward, Two Steps...

by littletechiebird



Category: DCU, DCU - Comicverse, Young Justice, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-30
Updated: 2012-04-30
Packaged: 2017-11-04 14:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletechiebird/pseuds/littletechiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They’d lost one and swore they wouldn’t let it happen again. It was a risk to let him take on the mask, they knew that. He had planned to be careful, ease him in. So much for that plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step Forward, Two Steps...

“And Gamma Team?”

That one question that should’ve been so easy to answer. It should have gotten the same answer as the others. Gamma team had been sent to the location that had the least reason for suspicion overall.

Maybe he should have seen his flaw in that.

_“Ummm..”_

The silence that came over the comm link was unsettling, making an anxiousness rise in Nightwing’s gut. Dread was quickly making itself known with an icy presence that began to try and attach itself to each and every nerve and creep outward. He was rigid, eyes growing wide behind the domino mask. His throat had gone dry and he didn’t think he could voice any of the thousands of words, dozens of questions, that were suddenly running rampant through his mind. But one was stabbing into his chest painfully again and again. 

What had he  _done_?

He was already damning himself.  
He might have already damned those kids.  
Damned Tim.  
Just like—

But suddenly he was acting, moving fast, switching channels without another word to the Gamma Team’s comm links. 

“Gamma Team. Come in. Status report.”

Silence.

“Gamma Team. Come in. Status report.” He pressed again.

Silence still.

Again he switched channels, changing to the private, coded frequency that they had set up specifically for _their_  tech, as Bats. He could get through that way, right? He would. 

“Robin. Come in. Status report.”

Silence was something he was quickly getting tired of. It wasn’t as if he was too fond of it to begin with. But panic was building and a rationality and cool-headed-ness was disintegrating fast, no matter how well it had been drilled into him through years of training and discipline.

“ _Tim!_ ”

But as he called the boy’s name through the communicator, 

the silence remained unchanged.

Silence was too painful. It burned with the loss that had come with a silence before.   
They thought they’d been so careful.  
This time would be different.  
It had to be different.  
If it wasn’t…

Nightwing switches channels again to the distributed signal between leaguers. 

“Nightwing to League. Who is the closest to Gamma’s current location?”

———

_“Don’t die.”_

Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t die.

That’s what he’d told him and now he wished there was a lot more he had instructed him on. They were all things that they’d told him before, things that they had drilled into his head during the more intense training until he was sure Tim was seeing the words every time he closed his eyes and slept. But what if that wasn’t enough? What if they should have done more? What if he wasn’t ready? This could have been too much. It was  _easily_ too much.

Or maybe.. Maybe they shouldn’t have involved him at all.

But Bruce had needed him. Tim had reminded them of that again and again.

There was no denying it. The way he’d changed after…

Years had passed and even thinking his name still brought a physical pain to wrack his senses. 

He’d already lost  _one_  little brother.   
He couldn’t bear the thought of losing another.

———

_They clashed again._

_But once more, Dick saw an opening. Shifting his stance in the slightest, he then feinted to the side and brought his elbow to connect with the boy’s side and kicked out his knees, sending him to the ground for, well, yet another time that day which seemed countless. He watched as he groaned, eyes shut tight as he visibly fought the urge to curl in on himself a bit from the burn of the hit. They weren’t playing easy. He wasn’t really hurting him, but they also needed to properly test him. Tim insisted he could handle it. Dick almost believed him, on some level, due to how many times he continued to get up again and again. The kid should’ve been worn out, should have been getting sloppier, but he could see the little improvements he was making as they went on, even if his mistakes continued too. That was why they were doing this._

_Get the mistakes out now.  
Never make them again.  
Never make them because you can’t die.  
No one else could die._

_“Come on, Tim. We can take a break. I can see you’re doing better. You lasted three minutes longer this time, but you’re still leaving yourself open.”_

_Watching the boy push himself up, he watched the same flash of determination in his eyes. That determination was pushing at the frustrated and discouraging thoughts that were clearly trying to settle in his mind. Dick had learned how to read the boy a little better by now. He didn’t have the greatest self confidence, especially not on the matters of involving himself in this new life, but he seemed to have given himself a greater sense of duty. He wasn’t allowing himself to give up. He’d made a commitment and it seemed that was going to be enough no matter how much his mind told him to quit — or maybe it was his body, aching, who was trying to tell him now as he wavered on his feet._

_But the smaller, thin boy solidified his footing and took his stance._

_“No.” He panted. “Not yet.”_

_He had fire. So much fire. It was a lot like…_

_“Alright, Timmy.” He smirks. “Let’s go again.”_

_———_

He’s ignored every inquiry. He listens to the comm link and replies as is absolutely necessary, the responses automatic. He can’t focus on anything else but pushing Sphere to go  _faster_  because they can’t be too late this time.

_‘Just be smart. Don’t be stupid. You’re a smart kid, Tim. Don’t get cocky. Just keep yourselves safe. Get out of there. Wait for us. Don’t do anything stupid._ Please _.’_

The thoughts run on a fast loop like a scared child’s or a frantic parent. He’s never thought of himself as much of a sibling person — not anymore — but suddenly his instincts are on overdrive. But he doesn’t peg it as brotherly. He’s concerned for a kid. His teammate. His ally. 

…No, that kid is his little brother and he’s really just not losing any more of those.

———

Explosions.

He  _really_  hates them by now.

His stomach drops and his throat goes dry. 

All coherent thought is suddenly gone and his jaw is debating between tensing and slackening.   
  
No.

_NO_.

Not again.

But as things settle, there’s sounds that catch his attention. 

Small splashes make his head snap down to the water below.

Heads begin to pop up out of the water, gasping for air.   
They’re civilians.

But then there’s Blue.

And then…

He hears it. The voice that’s calling out for his momentarily missing teammate.   
And he sees his head above water.  
And he sees him alive.  
Breathing.

_Safe._

He feels himself grinning as a giddy warmth spreads over him. He doesn’t pay any attention to the fact that a good majority of the Justice League has also arrived. He’s far too happy.  
They did it.  
Not only did they survive, but their mission was a complete and utter success. 

They’d gone and done the unexpected. This team had a way of doing that, no matter who was a part of it.

“Way to get your feet wet!”

He didn’t lose his little brother today.  
But he’d gained a lot of pride as a Big Brother.

_‘Thank you for not dying.’_


End file.
